Is Marijuana Addictive? And 5 Other FAQs for the Weed Curious

Smoking marijuana is a growing pastime for many parents in need of a break. But how much do you really know about the pot that you put into your body? Many people take drugs without knowing anything – or even the basics – about how they work. However, there are a few key questions that you should know the answers to. Are weeds addicting? Can you overdose on marijuana? What is the safest type of pot? Whether you’ve smoked since college or just recently started using cannabis, this is what you need to know.

Is marijuana addicting?

Those who indulge in a pot have a low risk of addiction, says Sarah Mann, a doctor at the Mindful Medicine Clinic. About one in ten people who use marijuana develop an addiction, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, for those who started cannabis use before the age of 18, that number rises to one in six.

Marijuana addiction is known as a marijuana use disorder, and people with the condition have different symptoms. Some are addicted to cannabis and cannot function without cannabis. They can also develop tolerance and need more weeds than they used to to reach the same high. Others experience withdrawal symptoms when they go without a pot, including anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, mood swings, and aggression.

However, not everyone who is addicted to marijuana has addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal. Rather, the hallmark of addiction is that it cannot stop using weeds even though it has negative consequences for your life, e.g. B. through health, family, work and legal problems.

Can you overdose on marijuana?

In the sense that overdose means taking too much of a drug, it is possible, says Mann. “You will be uncomfortably stoned for a period of time, depending on what you took, maybe even a day, and you will sleep it off,” she says. Symptoms can include extreme confusion, paranoia, panic, hallucinations, severe nausea, and vomiting, according to the CDC. Medical treatment is usually not required.

However, it is extremely unlikely that a person would die from accidentally using too much weed. “What you won’t have is a dangerous overdose or a fatal overdose,” says Mann. In fact, there are no cases of deaths attributable solely to marijuana. Since weeds don’t suppress breathing – there aren’t any cannabinoid receptors in the part of the brain that controls your breathing – you should be fine no matter how much you ingest.

What is the difference between indicas and sativas?

Indicas are purportedly strains of weed that help a person relax, and sativas make them feel a little more energized. But man says you shouldn’t rely on whether a strain is an indica or a sativa when choosing a pot. “It’s an outdated, archaic system,” she says. “It’s really more telling what environment they’re growing in – not what chemicals are in the plant.”

The chemicals in cannabis, especially the cannabinoids and terpenes, determine what kind of high you get. However, the terms “indica” and “sativa” do not describe the chemical makeup of weed strains. These terms actually have to do with the shape of the plant. Sativa marijuana comes from tall, narrow-leaved plants, and indica comes from short, broad-leaved plants, according to Leafly.

Instead of buying an indica or sativa, Mann recommends getting the myth out of your head and trying new strains to see what you like. “Experiment with different plants and different CBD to THC ratios and see what works for you,” she says.

Is Marijuana a Depressant?

Yes, marijuana is classified as a depressant. This means that weeds soothe the body’s central nervous system, slow down brain function, and make a person more relaxed. Alcohol is another example of a depressant.

Cannabis is not just a depressant, however. It is also a stimulant, which means that it increases energy and alertness, and increases mood.

But pot isn’t just a depressant and a stimulant. It is also a hallucinogen; it can alter the user’s sense of reality. For people who smoke weed, it may come in the form of increased sensory awareness, e.g. B. when they see lighter colors.

Which is safest: smoking, vaping, eating, or tinctures?

Different methods of using weeds carry different risks and benefits. According to the American Lung Association, the incense burner is bad for lung health. Researchers aren’t entirely sure how harmful it is, as most of the research on smoking has been conducted on cigarettes. However, some research suggests that smoking marijuana may not cause lung cancer, but it can lead to COPD and emphysema, among other things, Mann says.

Vaping is relatively new, so there are a lot of unknowns about how it will affect health over the long term. However, early research shows that any amount of steam is likely to cause lung damage. According to Mann, vaping has already sparked two big public health screams. First, scientists found that artificial flavors in vaporizing liquid lead to a chemical by-product called acetals, which can harm the body. Second, vitamin E oil in vapes has been linked to a lung injury that killed at least 68 people in the U.S. and nearly 3,000 people hospitalized.

Food is less likely to pose a health problem. However, they present a challenge when it comes to getting high: the body doesn’t consistently absorb the weeds in food. “If you have an edible product at exactly the same dose for three days in a row, you can have three completely different effects,” says Mann. You could take the perfect dose and get excessively stoned or not feel as relaxed as you hoped. The effects may not appear until two hours after consuming the edible.

Hard candies, sublinguals, and tinctures are easier to work with, says Mann. They give you a more reliable response and their effects last longer than the effects of smoking.

Is Marijuana Good For Sleeping?

This is a controversial question that still doesn’t have a good answer. Some doctors who work with cannabis say it can be used to treat a variety of sleep problems. “For the most part, both THC and another cannabinoid called CBN are good for sleeping,” says Mann. She has not yet had a sleep complaint from a patient who uses marijuana.

However, the evidence for the effects of marijuana on sleep is mixed. Some studies suggest that it can improve sleep quality in the short term, but it is a nuisance in the long term. Researchers in one study found that cannabis use reduced the frequency with which people woke up in the middle of the night. However, according to Medscape, frequent use has been associated with difficulty falling and falling asleep.

However, studies have produced mixed results overall, so the jury is still unsure whether marijuana improves sleep.

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